[Claudia Gary]

Many thanks to Aaron for choosing this poem as a finalist, and to those who commented here and liked it, whether or not you voted for it. Yes, the subject is smallish and "private," and the poem is quiet and meditative. I had hoped it would exemplify exactly what Aaron said: "making something" out of a failure's remains. A failed relationship just happens to be one form of that. I hadn't noticed that the final couplet continued with a sort of recycling, as Aaron pointed out, but I guess that may be inevitable once such a process gets started.

Cathy, thank you for bringing up the ship of Theseus (which I hadn't thought of), and for mentioning the double meanings as well as the real-versus-synthetic idea. Aside from that, Jayne was right: Unfortunately the title was was not meant to be hyperbolic.

Michael, thank you for liking and commenting on this poem. Re: L8 -- I wish there had been more to laugh about! But I'll think about that line some more, thanks.

Susan, thank you for noticing truths I had not (such as the feeling that the speaker is still at sea), and the effects of the presence or absence of enjambment on rhyme. I'll now probably pay more attention to that in the future.

Julie, thank you for your close reading. I think sometimes discarding is the only way to redeem something, although I may find that hard to do sometimes.

Mary, thank you for your thoughts. As for the turn, I had hoped it was between L8 and L9, as the speaker exits the search for ways to reuse the material and starts asking questions (beginning with whether that would be of any use). Maybe the quietness of the poem makes the turn too unobtrusive, though.

Rick, thank you.

Simon, thank you. And as mentioned with a poem I posted on the sphere a while back, I don't think understanding needs to precede liking.

Martin, thank you. In fact, this poem is the only "craft" that has actually been produced from this material, so far. As for the final couplet, I'm not sure how the change makes sense. Maybe the comma in my last line was intended as an "and" (although the hull is a part of the vessel, right?)

Jayne, thank you. Sadly, you're right about the quantity question, as I mentioned above to Catherine. I think "New Year's" is an acceptable shorthand for "New Year's Day." As for making a raft, it might be more fanciful than feasible...

Cheers,

Claudia